Ernst defends SNAP flexibility for states

“A bad, bad, bad idea” can be many things. Providing states more options and flexibility to administer certain functions of a program to make it more effective is not one. Yet, your recent editorial claims that my efforts to reform certain administrative functions of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are such an idea [Beware: Sen. Joni Ernst proposes letting states outsource food assistance operations].

Giving states the option — not a mandate — to work with private companies or non-profits is not a novel or radical idea. In fact, 13 states, including Iowa, and states with Democratic governors like California, Connecticut, New Jersey and Virginia partner with contractors to administer the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

And, recently, states with both Democratic governors (e.g. Delaware and Colorado) and Republican governors (e.g. Michigan, New Mexico) have asked USDA for more flexibility to partner with the private sector for administering parts of SNAP. The bipartisan organization that represents state and local government human services administrators (including SNAP directors from all over the country) also supports this policy change.

The federal government absolutely has “a responsibility to protect the poor and taxpayers from misguided state politicians.” But, nowhere does the amendment call for “a profit-seeking middleman.” This is an unfair characterization of our attempts to make Washington more competent.

— Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Ia.), Red Oak

Politicians need to be honest about immigration

Honesty is the best solution to the immigration debate. Until politicians talk honestly about immigration, the problems associated with it will never be solved.

If politicians truly care about the thousands of immigrants desperately flooding in from Central America, through Mexico, in search of freedom in the United States, they need to send them an honest, emphatic "no." That is far more compassionate and humane than allowing people to arrive at our borders filled with a false hope.

For decades, dishonesty has hurt tens of thousands of people — both illegal immigrants and American citizens. While companies and businesses that value cheap labor must shoulder some of the blame, politicians are responsible for the vast majority of the dishonesty.

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Des Moines students deserve opportunities

Why is there such a small swimming team at North? Why are students not getting involved in school sports and activities? Why are we not using the pools for classes during the school year or opening them the community?

As a community, we need to decide that Des Moines students are important and that they need equal opportunity to achieve success.

These are our schools. These are our children.

We need to to stand behind our children and give them the opportunities they deserve.

I am one of them and I do not feel like it is the state's responsibility to lift you or your children out of poverty, and I don't agree that a lack of preschool will keep achievement down.

I personally would help someone I knew who needed a bit of help, but I really dislike the idea of more programs run by the state. While they are ostensibly aimed at helping, the result is mostly making people reliant and answerable to the state, instead of actually getting the education or the initiative to better oneself.

I remember when Lyndon B. Johnson said that society's goal was to lift people from poverty. What we ended up with was a huge number if dependents, reliant on the state and, in many cases, quite happy to be there.

If you must hold someone responsible, don't blame the state. Blame the individual or simply allow them to accept the consequences of their behavior or lack there of.

— Beryl Richards, Nashua

City council members hear minority concerns

I attended a community meeting on June 28 where my black neighbors shared their stories of being racially profiled by the Des Moines police.

These are good folks who are not anti-police but who are tired of the indignities of being treated as less than because of the color of their skin. Mothers fear for the safety of their children, especially their sons.

Parents must have the talk with their children about what to do in interactions with the police to avoid getting shot: Keep your hands visible, speak respectfully even if you aren’t treated with respect and do not let the anger that you feel from humiliation become visible.

As a white person, I cannot imagine having to deal with this day after day. It is time to listen to the pain of our black neighbors and work with them in their efforts to be treated with the respect that they deserve.

Three of our Des Moines City Council members, Connie Boesen, Josh Mandelbaum and Bill Gray were there to listen and committed to working together on this issue.

Des Moines will be a stronger, safer community if all its law-abiding citizens are treated equally before the law.

— Jean O'Donnell, Des Moines

Some Christians use faith to enforce their bias

The number of people who disgrace the Bible or hide behind it when trying to make their prejudices, biases and other sins Christian-like is really amazing to me [You cannot just accept certain sins].

To me, these are the people sinning against others when they try to impose their beliefs on them. It's just sickening to listen to their diatribe in defense of their racism and beliefs.

I would hope their church leader would recognize this and cover it in their sermon every week.

After spewing a litany of grim statistics outlining the massive scope of the ongoing crisis, Grassley then listed the legislative pea-shots he’s taken at the monster like an unabashed hint that he’s to be applauded for not making a meaningful difference.

If he were on the ballot in November, I would chalk this brag piece up to electioneering. But he is not, so why would he go fishing for kudos by talking about an unresolved public health emergency?

Get back to us if or when there is actually a solution that you're part of, senator.

— Mike Wellman, Des Moines

Senators will wait to fill Kennedy's position, won't they?

Since Sens. Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley and the rest of the Republican senators determined it was imperative to wait to fill a Supreme Court seat until after the 2016 election, I am sure they will continue their due diligence and wait till after the 2018 election to fill the seat being vacated by Justice Anthony Kennedy.

As they insisted, the voters need to have a say in this important decision.

Kennedy's retirement could revive Democrats

However, there may be some positive aspects to this. The Republicans have the majority in the Senate and Democrats cannot filibuster, so unless a total disaster is nominated, the nomination will be confirmed.

The only silver lining in this for the Democrats will be if the Republicans proceed quickly and the justice is confirmed before the election this fall. If that happens, this should gin up the fervor of the Democrats to get out to vote.

A successful 2018 for the Democrats would be nice momentum for a tough 2020.

You cannot just accept certain sins

Certainly, if your grandpa knew his Bible, he knew what homosexuality was, and knew (as you should) that it was sin.

I cannot figure out how his “valuing the Bible" helped you welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ people. The Christian Bible in no way supports the homosexual lifestyle — on the contrary, it is clearly condemned by God’s word.

The Bible does affirm that marriage is only between a man and a woman. Any sexual act outside of that is sin. Those who practice will receive the due penalty of their error.

While no worse a sin than other acts such as adultery or stealing, it is still clearly a sin, and it is one that will keep a person from heaven. This is why we must all turn from sin and repent before Christ.

You are right that we should treat homosexuals with respect — like we should all people — but we must also speak the truth of God’s word in love. That is something that you are not doing by promoting sin.

The United States of America has committed a globally recognized travesty that will not be easy to redress, but for now we had best make it first priority to ensure that every child is returned to family members.

Zero-tolerance policies are rarely appropriate, but they often relieve people of thinking that they need to think. We better start thinking now.

To make their point, the duo quoted French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau described the growth of government as driven by “frivolous desires.” Personally, I don’t see education, health care and safety net programs — such as Social Security — as frivolous. I don’t think of good schools, safe highways and safe bridges, clean water, police and fire protection as frivolous, either.

A common argument against taxes is that, as consumers, we end up paying those taxes anyway. What is overlooked is the fact that our economy is now worldwide, which means that tax revenues are sourced from around the entire globe. Income taxes and property taxes paid by a Principal Financial Group — as one example — are not levied on Iowa consumers alone.

Customers and investors from around the world share in supporting our local governments' income. If just Iowa’s international insurance businesses alone paid property taxes at the rate paid before Gov. Terry Branstad's “reforms,” we would have a booming educational system.

Instead, the money benefits out-of-state investors and consumers. Our schools are declining, but taxes on multi-billion-dollar businesses are low. People who live in a democratic republic can use their government to solve common problems and provide progressive services.

Our state must do more to invest in children and families. I encourage all of our congressional candidates, as well as Gov. Kim Reynolds and her challenger Fred Hubbell, to discuss how they would help families afford quality child care during their campaigns.

Trump needs to remember due process

Trump does not consider himself above the law, he thinks that he is the law.

I cannot believe anyone would sit by and let the president make outlandish statements that he can do away with due process. What is wrong with us as a country? Why do we sit by and do nothing when he makes such a statement?

Unless you are Native American or descended from slaves, we are all immigrants. Due process is a fundamental right under the Constitution and cannot randomly be ignored, regardless of your position.

Democrats need solid immigration reform

The despicable, negative, bigoted policies and actions of the Trump administration and the ill-advised, unflagging support from GOP legislators demand universal condemnation.

However, In addition to aggressive and continuous criticism, Democrats must also offer a set of of comprehensive, compassionate legislative alternatives. If they do not take this action, they fuel speculation that the immigration issue is being reserved by the Democrats for use against Republicans in midterm election campaigns.

This evil, un-American Trump immigration policy must be confronted now, and specific alternatives must be presented.

Political advantage must be considered secondary; human rights must take precedence.

— Dean R. Prestemon, Ames

Illegal means illegal, no matter the age

Immigration and deportation seem like simple processes for anyone with a brain. If a person entered the U.S. illegally, that person gets deported immediately.

To take it a step further, if an illegal immigrant has a child born on U.S. soil, that child is also an illegal alien — they are not an American citizen. There is no valid reason to give automatic citizenship to a child born here, when the parent has entered the country illegally.

There is also no sane reason to separate parents and children when the parents are illegally residing here. Children belong with parents. If parents are deported, their children go with them. Do not split families — that is a cruelty that should not be countenanced.

Look how simple and straightforward this all could be. Political wrangling to make party points has no place in our society. We like law and order, so let's clean up our country.

Illegal is illegal — no need to scramble our United States with people who can apply to come here legally instead of sneaking in.

I enjoy fireworks when they are used in a way that is predictable and within reasonable parameters. Therefore, I believe that it is entirely appropriate for the City of Des Moines to control when and where fireworks are used.

When given the opportunity to legally use fireworks in 2017, many abused that right. Fireworks continued into the wee hours of a weekday morning, their use started weeks before they were legal and continued long past the Fourth of July.

I don't think that Kurtinitis "gets it." The use of fireworks in 2017 surpassed what a reasonable person would find as acceptable, and neighbors in Des Moines cannot choose whether or not they will participate in fireworks.

Fireworks are intrusive on multiple levels. The inability to enforce the laws governing fireworks is a weak reason to support their continued legal use.

— Cyndy Erickson, Des Moines

Trump is not effective public policy case study

As a teacher of public policy, I’ve always liked case studies as tools to help students understand what to expect in a career of public service.

Decision dilemmas force deep dives into the legal, moral and practical dimensions of governing, but some cases are better than others.

The 5th Amendment says, “No person shall be …. deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law….”

No person, period. The courts have affirmed this.

Whatever the validity of his concerns about immigration, he is suggesting that the Constitution can be suspended because he thinks it should be. Neither he nor the other branches of government can do that.

In my “case,” I would like to see the president mull the many factors impinging on his decisions, but he fails to teach when he short-hands everything with impulsive tweets that — in a case like this — ignore the role of constitutional policy making.

I would fail to teach if I used this “case,” because the instant gratification of scatterbrained Twitter posts is antithetical to responsible and thoughtful governing.

For that reason, I would find better examples from other presidencies and leave Trump off the syllabus.

Iowa Farm Bureau does care about farmers

While I have been a Farm Bureau member for 20+ years, I have gained a greater appreciation for this grassroots organization, especially since I began serving on the Calhoun County Farm Bureau board 10 years ago.

I recently participated in a policy development meeting in Rockwell City, debating issues with my fellow Farm Bureau members that affect our rural communities.

Do I agree with every piece of Farm Bureau policy? No. Do I as a small farmer have a voice in the process? Yes.

Women’s voices are welcomed, too. As a past president of the Calhoun County Farm Bureau, I have had the chance to lead at the local, state and international levels.

I don’t see pretending here. I see dedicated people who are improving the quality of life in rural Iowa.